John Henry Yates was born and died in Batavia, New York. He held a number of jobs over the years. In his early days he was a shoe salesman, as was D. L. Moody in his youth. Then he had a turn at being a newspaper editor, and a hardware store manager. In 1886, he became a Methodist pastor, later joining the Free Will Baptists.
It was in 1891, during his stint as an editor, that John Yates published the gospel song, Faith Is the Victory. It was one of several song texts that the author sent to musician Ira Sankey, so that he could supply tunes for them.
The basic theme of the hymn mentioned comes from I Jn. 5:4, “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.” That is, the born again Christian has the power available to have victory over the temptations of this evil world, and faith in God is the key to that victorious living.
Encamped along the hills of light, Ye Christian soldiers, rise. And press the battle ere the night Shall veil the glowing skies. Against the foe in vales below Let all our strength be hurled. Faith is the victory, we know, That overcomes the world.
Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory! O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love, Our sword the Word of God. We tread the road the saints above With shouts of triumph trod. By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath, Swept on o’er every field. The faith by which they conquered death Is still our shining shield.
What Makes a Good Hymn? Not all the hymns in our hymnals are of the highest quality, but some are. And what are some of the characteristics to look for in the best of our hymns? Here are five to consider.
(2) Today in 1927 – James Clem Died
American composer James Bowman Overton Clem was the nephew of Methodist Episcopal bishop Thomas Bowman, and the cousin of Virginia Clem, wife of author Edgar Allen Poe. We know little else about him, other than that he wrote the tune Far and Near for James Thompson’s missionary hymn of the same name. (To read more about this hymn, see the second item under Today in 1790.) The song is based on the words of the Lord Jesus regarding the need of willing workers to serve Him:
The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest. (Matt. 9:37-38)
Far and near the fields are teeming With the waves of ripened grain; Far and near their gold is gleaming O’er the sunny slope and plain.
Lord of harvest, send forth reapers! Hear us, Lord, to Thee we cry; Send them now the sheaves to gather Ere the harvest time pass by.
O thou, whom thy Lord is sending, Gather now the sheaves of gold; Heav’nward then at evening wending, Thou shalt come with joy untold.
Frances Jane (Fanny) Crosby was blind from infancy, due to a doctor’s mistreatment of an eye infection. But not only did her blindness not seem to hinder her, she actually came to view it in a positive light. She said:
It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.
Miss Crosby, who later became Mrs. Alexander Van Alstyne, was the most prolific gospel song writer ever. The exact total of these selections may never be known, since she wrote under a bewildering array of pen names. (It is likely somewhere between 8,500 and 9,000 songs.)
Some hymn historians speak disdainfully of her output, saying most of it isn’t worth much. However, many of her songs have stood the test of time, and continue to appear in hymnals. (Often more of her songs are included than those of any other writer.) And it is still possible to discover lovely gems among the thousands that have not been recently published.
With that many songs to her credit, it may come as a surprise that Fanny was not converted until she was 30 years old, and did not begin writing hymns for another 14 years! (She had written poetry since childhood, and produced a number popular songs, but no hymns before 1864.) This means she had to average writing about four hymns each week from then on! And that is simply an average. Some weeks the total was several times that.
Fanny Crosby put her faith in Christ at a Methodist revival meeting, and it was a hymn that God used to awaken her heart to Him. The congregation was singing Isaac Watts’s Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed?, and the last stanza says:
But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away; ‘Tis all that I can do.
Fanny says as the last line was sung, “I surrendered myself to the Saviour, and my very soul was flooded with celestial light.” She was captivated by the love of Christ.
Then, when she was 44 years old, she met gospel music composer William Bradbury. (Bradbury gave us the tunes for Just As I Am, He Leadeth Me, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and many more.) He said, on meeting Fanny Crosby, “I thank God that we have at last met, for I think you can write hymns, and I have wished for a long time to have a talk with you.” He challenged her to come back in one week with a hymn he could set to music, and she did. Here is how Fanny Crosby’s very first hymn begins:
We are going, we are going To a home beyond the skies, Where the fields are robed in beauty And the sunlight never dies. Where the fount of joy is flowing In the valley green and fair, We shall dwell in love together, There shall be no parting there.
William Bradbury was thrilled, and determined to use the song in the hymn book he was presently editing. Then, he gave Fanny a test–without telling her he was doing it. He said he needed a patriotic song to go with a melody he had written. The tune he played for her was a tricky and complicated one, but he wanted to see whether she could handle it.
Fanny returned a day later with the song requested, presenting it to Bradbury’s secretary. The latter responded in open-mouthed astonishment, “How in the world did you manage to write that hymn? Nobody ever supposed that you, or any mortal, could adapt words to that melody!” (The rest, as they say, is history!)
(2) Today in 1871 – Charles Weigle Born
Charles Frederick Weigle, a friend of Billy Sunday’s, was an itinerant gospel musician and evangelist, preaching here and there, as the Lord opened the door.
In researching his life, I came across a sermon he preached in 1903 called “The Three Hells.” (Eye-catching title!) The first was hell in the heart, about the sad state of a debauched life; the second was hell in the home, about sin-riddled disfunctional families; the third was hell in the hereafter, concerning the eternal judgment faced by all those outside of Christ.
As well as preaching, Charles Weigle wrote about a thousand gospel songs. One from 1903 is Living for Jesus (not to be confused with Thomas Chisholm’s song with the same title). Weigle’s hymn says:
Living for Jesus—O what peace! Rivers of pleasure never cease. Trials may come, yet I’ll not fear. Living for Jesus, He is near.
Help me to serve Thee more and more. Help me to praise Thee o’er and o’er; Live in Thy presence day by day, Never to turn from Thee away.
Living for Jesus—O what rest! Pleasing my Saviour, I am blest. Only to live for Him alone, Doing His will till life is done!
Living for Jesus everywhere, All of my burden He doth bear. Friends may forsake me; He’ll be true. Trusting in Him, He’ll guide me through.
Mr. Weigle had little of this world’s material things, but he believed what he was doing was of eternal worth. However, he returned home from one particular preaching mission to discover a devastating note from his wife of many years.
Charlie, I’ve been a fool. I’ve done without a lot of things long enough. From here on out, I’m getting all I can of what the world owes me. I know you’ll continue to be a fool for Jesus, but for me it’s goodbye!
She had taken their little daughter and moved to a distant city, seeking glamour and excitement. It was the darkest time of Weigle’s life. He was 61 years old and alone in the world. The temptation arose to commit suicide. He thought to himself, “Your work is finished. No one cares whether you’re dead or alive.”
But in his despair a Voice seemed to whisper in his soul, “Charlie, I haven’t forgotten you. Charlie, I care for you.” And he knelt down and asked the Lord’s forgiveness for not trusting Him. He took up his ministry again.
Meanwhile, in that distant place after less than five years of worldly pleasure, his wife lay dying. To someone at her bedside she said, “I wish I had my life to live over.” She told her daughter to try to find her father and “ask him to pray for me.” But word did not reach him in time.
Once again, in deep sorrow, Charles Weigle sought the comfort of the Lord, and he wrote a song as his personal testimony, called No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus.
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus, Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He changed my life completely, He did something that no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There’s no other friend so kind as He. No one else could take the sin and darkness from me. Oh how much He cared for me.
Without trying to judge Mr. Weigle in particular, I do wonder about what’s behind this troubled time in his life. Is there another way of looking at it? Is there perhaps more to the story? I have put down some thoughts about this in a topical article called Doesn’t Ministry Begin at Home?.
(3) Today in 1872 – I Need Thee Every Hour sung
On this date in 1872, Annie Hawks’s hymn I Need Thee Every Hour was sung for the very first time by the 3,000 delegates at the National Baptist Sunday School Convention, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It became an instant favourite.
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Saviour, I come to Thee.
There are at least three versions of the story behind No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus–differing in some details from one another. The interesting thing is that two of them come directly from the author, Charles Weigle himself. One is an hour long reminiscence that includes the story behind the hymn. The other (here) is a short account, more specifically about the song. Both clearly were given when Mr. Weigle was elderly, and it is understandable that some of the details had become hazy. However, the more I listened to these recordings, the more uncomfortable I felt.
The story as I originally tracked it down, was that Weigle’s wife was a wayward and worldly woman who, in the end, couldn’t continue to stomach his Christian stand, and so she left him. But from the man himself we get a hint something a little different.
Charles Frederick Weigle was a travelling evangelist, constantly on the go, often away from home. Reading between the lines of his own description, his wife comes across as a lonely, and possibly weak woman. It seems they had at least one child (a daughter). And there Mrs. Weigle was left alone, to raise her daughter almost as a single mother, and to face her personal temptations and spiritual struggles on her own.
Mrs. Weigle, again by her husband’s own account, pled with him again and again to please stay home and help her. But he adamantly refused, saying he was called of God to be an evangelist, and called to do the work of the Lord. He virtually says that his wife’s pleadings were the devil’s attempt to hinder his work for God.
Exactly at this point, I have a problem. And I must tread carefully here. I do not presume to sit in judgment over this man, who left us more than four decades ago. His evangelistic ministry seems to have borne fruit, and his many songs are heartwarming. Further, I don’t think there is one inflexible rule in this matter. The Lord does lead different people different ways. But without condemning Charles Weigle in particular, I do think there are issues that need a closer look.
Though it’s possible to see a travelling evangelistic ministry as a noble service, requiring great sacrifice, there is another point of view. There is something inflating to the ego about moving masses of people by emotional appeals, and hearing words of praise for “your wonderful ministry,” over and over. And it is much easier to put on a pious Christian face with strangers, those who do not get a chance to see us in our worst moments. It is often harder to stay at home and deal with the colds and flu, and shopping, and broken water lines, and bills, and the inevitable conflicts. But that and more is all a part of family life.
I do not know what vows were repeated at the Weigles’ wedding. But given the time in which they lived, they likely followed the traditional form. That would mean the groom was called upon to respond in the affirmative to a question something like this, regarding his bride:
“Wilt thou love and comfort her, honour and keep her, and in joy and sorrow, preserve with her this bond, holy and unbroken, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, or God by death shall separate you?”
Now, some questions:
Even if the Lord were to call a husband to some kind of public ministry–pastor, evangelist, missionary, or something else–does not the care of his wife and family remain a significant part of his Christian service?
Is the latter service for the Lord to be relegated to second place, and the former always to take the bulk of the man’s time, and energy, and financial resources?
Can he fulfil God’s command to love his wife just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (Eph. 5:25), by rarely being home to give practical support to those committed to his charge?
What if such a husband were called to a time-consuming ministry that pressured him to be more and more an absentee from the home? But what if he determined to curtail those absences significantly, and put more focus on his family? Would the Lord not honour that?
And if he was open to it, could the Lord not have revealed some new kind of ministry that husband and wife could be involved in together? Or one that enabled him to be the involved husband and father he should be?
Again I say, the Lord leads different people in different ways. I’m not presuming to judge in any individual situation. But I do think this issue deserves a very careful and prayerful examination. I’ve met MKs and PKs (missionaries’ kids, and pastor’s kids) who grew up bitter and resentful toward the church and the things of God, because they were always relegated to second place after “the Lord’s work.” I’m not for a moment excusing a bitter spirit in such a case, but I do wonder if the fault is all on one side. The Lord’s work, like charity, surely begins at home.
This hymn by Julia Ward Howe was born during the American Civil War. The author heard soldiers singing the tune with other lyrics, and determined to write something that would contain more worthy sentiments. She says:
I awoke in the grey of the morning, and as I lay waiting for dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to entwine themselves in my mind, and I said to myself, “I must get up and write these verses, lest I fall asleep and forget them!” So I sprang out of bed and in the dimness found an old stump of a pen, which I remembered using the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper.
When the song was sung at a rally later, President Lincoln shouted, with tears streaming down his face, “Sing it again!” The hymn was also sung at the inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
In Howe’s original version, written in wartime, when soldiers were giving their lives for their country’s survival, the last line of the fifth stanza was “Let us die to make men free.” Contemporary versions change this to “Let us live to make men free.
If you have never heard the stirring 1944 arrangement by Peter Wilhousky, it is worth a listen. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir made a million-selling recording of it in 1959. See here.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
(2) Today in 1885 – Haldor Lillenas Born
Haldor Lillenas was born in Norway, and came to the United States when a child. His family settled in South Dakota, later moving to Oregon. Lillenas was a pastor and evangelist, but we know him today chiefly as a prolific gospel song writer. He founded the Lillenas Music Company, and worked there until his retirement in 1950.
Mr. Lillenas wrote some 4,000 song texts and tunes. His lovely song, Wonderful Peace speaks of our peace with God through Christ (cf. Rom. 5:1-2). (There is also a fine song by Warren Cornell entitled Wonderful Peace.)
Coming to Jesus, my Saviour, I found Wonderful peace, wonderful peace; Storms in their fury may rage all around, I have peace, sweet peace.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace, Peace, peace, glorious peace; Since my Redeemer has ransomed my soul, I have peace, sweet peace.
Few men have managed to have a varied career such as Russell Kelso Carter’s. He attended the Pennsylvania Military Academy, and was a star athlete there (in baseball and gymnastics). After graduation in 1867, he was hired to teach at the academy–chemistry, natural science, civil engineering, and higher mathematics.
Then, for three years, he was a sheep rancher in California. Later he was ordained as a Methodist clergyman, and was active in the camp meetings of the day. He wrote many books–on mathematics, science, and religion–and authored several novels. He helped A. B. Simpson edit the first edition of Hymns of the Christian Life, a hymnal still in use by the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination. And finally, Kelso Carter became a medical doctor in Baltimore!
As if all of this were not enough, Kelso Carter also wrote dozens of hymns, often including both words and music. Most are forgotten today, but many hymn books still contain Standing on the Promises, for which he provided both words and music. It appears to have been written during his years at the military academy, and one can almost hear the steady march of the cadets in the 4/4 rhythm of the song.
Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring, Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Saviour; Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.
That is a firm foundation on which to stand, the sure promises of the living God. As King Solomon put it, “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (I Kgs. 8:56). A stanza of Mr. Carter’s song not usually used today says:
Standing on the promises I now can see Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, Standing on the promises of God.
Congregational singing tempo: In one of my topical articles I share a few thoughts about the speed at which we sing our hymns and gospel songs. (See The Tempo of Congregational Hymns.) To illustrate the extremes, here are a couple of versions of the above hymn.
The first might better be described as racing through the promises! If only out of consideration for us seniors who can’t think (or breath!) as easily as we could years ago, this is ridiculous! Click on Racing Through.
I must say I laughed heartily at the contrast between the former and this next one that seems more like dozing over the promises! Perhaps the intention is to make the song a meditative prayer. Fair enough. But this may go beyond reasonable limits. Click on Dozing Over.
Somewhere in between these two extremes seems about right to me, give or take a little. That gives us time to consider the words we are singing, without dragging the song out too much.
(2) Today in 1866 – I Love to Tell the Story
The painting to the left has been in our family for generations. I was told as a child that the one boy was sad because he had been unable to sell his papers. But the other boy encouraged him kindly by telling him of the love of Jesus.
We all enjoy a good story. And English hymn writer Arabella Katherine Hankey, the daughter of a banker, had one to tell. In her early thirties she contracted a serious illness that left her bedridden for an extended period. She determined to tell the story of the life of Christ by writing a long poem about it.
Two gospel songs have been taken from this poem. In the first section (completed Jan. 29, 1866), which the author called “The Story Wanted,” are found the words of Tell Me the Old, Old Story. From the second section (completed Nov. 18, 1866), “The Story Told,” we have the song I Love to Tell the Story.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true; It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
(3) Today in 1945 – William Ovens Died
The background of a hymn attributed to Ovens came to light after a long search–a search that still goes on! William Gilbert Ovens was an English clergyman who, for over 30 years, conducted children’s meetings in Northern Ireland under the Children’s Special Service Mission (now a part of Scripture Union). The hymn that bears his name is Wounded for Me. But none of my resources gave any information on the song. Finally, contacting Scripture Union in Britain yielded the following story.
One day in the years following the First World War, W. G. Ovens saw a wounded veteran limping past on the street and was impressed by the thought that, in a sense, the young man had taken that wound for him. After the soldier passed by, he instantly drew a parallel to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Bible says was “wounded for our transgressions” (Isa. 53:5).
Ovens was a man with a single purpose in life. It was said of him “the consuming passion of his life was Jesus Christ–to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him, to share with others the joy he found in Him, to lead others to Him, and to draw still others nearer to Him.” And one observed, “There was no shadow of compromise with him. He had no time for half-heartedness or lukewarmness.” After the above incident, Ovens wrote a little chorus that says:
Wounded for me, wounded for me, There on the cross He was wounded for me; Gone my transgressions and now I am free, All because Jesus was wounded for me.
Later the chorus was expanded into a hymn by Gladys Westcott Dobson Roberts (1888-1983). She and her husband Watkin Roberts served as missionaries in India. Mrs. Roberts added four more stanzas that complete the picture of Jesus dying for me, risen for me, living for me, finally ending with:
Coming for me, coming for me, One day to earth He is coming for me; Then with what joy His dear face I shall see, O how I praise Him–He’s coming for me!
Flora Hamilton Cassell partnered with her husband, Elijah Taylor Cassel in writing the gospel songs Loyalty to Christ, and The King’s Business. He wrote the words, and his wife gave us the tunes.
Elijah Cassel trained as a doctor and practiced for a while in Nebraska. Around 1910 he entered the ministry, pastoring churches in Colorado. For her part, Flora was a trained musician and composer. She showed her musical gifts even in childhood, being able to sing and accompany herself, while still a small girl.
Loyalty to Christ was written in 1894 for the first convention of the Baptist Young People’s Union. It is a challenge to commitment to Christ, but there is little depth or spiritual insight in its message. And one wonders about the meaning of “We’ll soon possess the land.” It may be an allusion to the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites. But the parallel of that today is found in believers living in spiritual victory and the enjoyment of the abundant life Christ promised (Jn. 10:10), not in conquering a country. If evangelism is the subject, that application is not made clear in the song. For a bit more on this hymn, see Today in 1930.)
From over hill and plain there comes the signal strain, ’Tis loyalty, loyalty, loyalty to Christ; Its music rolls along, the hills take up the song, Of loyalty, loyalty, yes, loyalty to Christ.
“On to victory! On to victory!” Cries our great Commander, “On!” We’ll move at His command, We’ll soon possess the land, Through loyalty, loyalty, Yes, loyalty to Christ.
The King’s Business has a clearer biblical message. It is based on II Cor. 5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” The Bible says Christians are citizens of the heavenly kingdom (Phil. 3:20), but we are here for a time as representatives of the King, to declare His message to a needy world.
I am a stranger here, within a foreign land; My home is far away, upon a golden strand; Ambassador to be of realms beyond the sea, I’m here on business for my King.
This is the message that I bring, A message angels fain would sing: “Oh, be ye reconciled,” Thus saith my Lord and King,
(2) More from William Cushing
William Orcutt Cushing has given us many fine gospel songs, including Hiding in Thee and Under His Wings. In 1878, he published a song of commitment called simply Follow On. Mr. Cushing said this about it:
Longing to give up all for Christ who had given his life for me, I wanted to be willing to lay everything at his feet, with no wish but to do his will, to live henceforth only for his glory. Out of this feeling came the hymn, ‘Follow On.’
Down in the valley with my Saviour I would go, Where the flowers are blooming and the sweet waters flow; Everywhere He leads me I would follow, follow on, Walking in His footsteps till the crown be won.
Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus! Anywhere, everywhere, I would follow on! Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus! Everywhere He leads me I would follow on!
Down in the valley with my Saviour I would go, Where the storms are sweeping and the dark waters flow; With His hand to lead me I will never, never fear, Danger cannot fright me if my Lord is near.
The Bible offers an answer to the question of what we should do with our worries. David writes, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). Adds Peter, “Cast…all your cares [distracting anxieties] upon Him, for He cares for [a different Greek word, meaning the Lord is concerned about] you” (I Pet. 5:7).
And it is the Apostle Paul who explains that this “casting” of cares upon God is done through prayer. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hears and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
In 1920, Edward Henry Joy (seen here) wrote a beautiful hymn on this theme. Colonel Joy (1871-1949) was an officer and musician in the Salvation Army in England, later serving in Winnipeg, Canada. He also wrote a book called The Old Corps, which describes the early days of the organization (founded in 1865). It tells how the established church of the day was scandalized at some of the aggressive and novel methods used by William Booth to reach the lost and downtrodden of society. Joy’s book was later turned into a musical drama called simply Glory.
His hymn uses the symbol of the mercy seat, above the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament, to represent where God meets with His people through prayer today. Col. Joy’s hymn says:
Is there a heart o’er-bound by sorrow? Is there a life weighed down by care? Come to the cross–each burden bearing, All your anxiety, leave it there.
All your anxiety, all your care, Bring to the mercy seat–leave it there; Never a burden He cannot bear, Never a friend like Jesus!
Come then at once–delay no longer! Heed His entreaty kind and sweet; You need not fear a disappointment– You shall find peace at the mercy seat.
(2) Today in 1895 – Samuel Smith Died
American Samuel Francis Smith was a Baptist clergyman who also wrote a number of hymns. But he is remembered today chiefly as the author of the national song, My Country ‘Tis of Thee. (For more, see Today in 1831.)
My country, ’tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From every mountainside, Let freedom ring!
Our fathers’ God, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing; Long may our land be bright With freedom’s holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King.
The man hailed a horse-drawn cab, waiting as it came to a halt on the dark street. His body was stooped, and black despair clotted about his soul. “To the Thames!” he called to the driver, climbing into his seat. He saw no hope for the future, and was determined to throw himself into the river.
His name is William Cowper (pronounced Cooper). During a year in a mental institution, he had been befriended by a sympathetic doctor. Cowper began to study the Bible, and eventually had a genuine conversion experience. Yet, even after he was released, his problems continued. A nervous disposition, plus a series of stressful situations in his life contributed to severe emotional depression. He studied law, with the idea of serving in the House of Lords as a clerk. But the thought of facing an oral examination so terrified him he felt driven to drown himself, rather than go through with it.
What happened next on that dark night is not entirely clear. According to one account, the cab driver refused to take him to the river. Others say a thick London fog settled over the city, so that the driver attempted to find his way in vain. Finally, in frustration, he ordered the man from the cab, and Cowper found himself back at his own door.
Whatever the case, at the darkest time of his life, he had seen the hand of God at work. Elated at his escape from death, William Cowper wrote a poem he entitled “Light Shining Through Darkness.” Writing poetry was a special gift of this distressed saint. In fact, he is recognized in English literature as one of the greatest poets of his time. It was this ability, plus moving to the little village of Olney, that God used to give his troubled life new purpose.
At Olney, he developed a friendship with the local pastor, none other than John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace. Realizing the man’s unique talents, Newton suggested they work on compiling a new hymn book, proposing they write the songs between them. The result was a historic volume, published in 1779, called Olney Hymns. For it, William Cowper wrote over 60 selections, including There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood, and O for a Closer Walk with God.
He also included the poem mentioned earlier. Now known as God Moves in a Mysterious Way, it may be the finest hymn we have on the subject of God’s providence. The word “providence” means before-seeing. It refers to God’s ability to know the future before it happens, and work in events on that basis to bring about His wise and good purpose. Given the providential work of God, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). And Cooper wrote:
God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
Here is a choral arrangement of Willima Cowper’s beautiful hymn.
(2) Today in 1878 – Jane Campbell Died
Englishwoman Jane Montgomery Campbell was not a hymn writer herself, but a translator of hymns from the German language. She also wrote A Handbook for Singers, a book of musical exercises she taught in her father’s parish school.
The only hymn she translated that is still in common use is the harvest hymn, We Plow the Fields and Scatter. Published originally in 1782, it was known as “The Peasants’ Song,” beginning heartily, in German, “Wir pflugen und wir streuen.” Matthias Claudius, the author, wrote of it in a sketch of harvest customs in northern Germany. The song consisted of 17 four-line stanzas, followed by a refrain. Campbell’s translation in our hymn books usually makes use of only three.
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above, Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good, The seed-time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food; Accept the gifts we offer, for all Thy love imparts, And what Thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
(3) Today in 1977 – Albert Brumley Died
Albert Edward Brumley was born into a family of impoverished tenant farmers, and spent his early years picking cotton. He quit school after the tenth grade, envisioning little future beyond being a sharecropper like his father. Then, when he was sixteen, Brumley attended a singing class and discovered he had a gift for making music. Soon he was composing songs. A few years later, he briefly enrolled in a music school, but dropped out and returned to picking cotton. One day, out in the fields, he began singing a popular number called “The Prisoner’s Song,” saying he felt very much like a prisoner. Motivated to try again, he returned to the school, completing several years of training.
In 1931 Albert Brumley was conducting a singing school in Missouri when he met Goldie Schell, and fell in love. They married, and raised a family. Meanwhile, Brumley continued to write music–producing more than 600 songs in all. His first, I Can Hear Them Singing Over There, was written back when he was only sixteen, but it was not published until some years afterward. Another, written in the cotton fields, would not be heard until Goldie urged him later to have it published. What inspired the song was seeing a bird take flight. That caused Brumley to wish he could so easily escape the near-slavery of his life.
What a day that will be, when Christians take flight into the presence of the glorified Christ, and “we shall always be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:17)! It was to celebrate that blessed deliverance that Albert Brumley published, in 1932, the song I’ll Fly Away. It became an instant favourite across Depression-ravaged America. In 1976, Brumley was given an award marking this as the most recorded gospel song in history.
Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away; To a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.
I’ll fly away, O glory! I’ll fly away. When I die, Hallelujah! by and by I’ll fly away.
When the shadows of this life have gone, I’ll fly away; Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I’ll fly away.”
The frail old woman sits at a table in her tiny room in Seattle, Washington. Before her is a small plastic organ–one such as a child might have. But, as she fingers the keys and sings, her poor surroundings seem to fade from view, her face shines with the light of heaven, and tears trickle down her time-lined cheeks. Perhaps in her mind she is seated at a majestic pipe organ in some ornate cathedral. But the place doesn’t matter. She is intent on worshiping her Saviour.
The woman’s name is Helen. In her nineties at the time described, and with little of this world’s goods, her faith sustained her. When asked, “How are you?” her frequent reply was, “I am fine in the things that count.” (Well said!)
Helen Howarth Lemmel was born in England, the daughter of a Methodist clergyman. As a child, she was brought to America, where she spent the remainder of her life. A gifted soloist, she gave concerts in many churches, and taught voice for a time at Moody Bible Institute. She moved to Seattle in 1904, and for three years was music critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Mrs. Lemmel also authored about 500 hymns.
She wrote a lovely song–both words and music–in 1918. Helen Lemmel was given a tract by a visiting missionary. The leaflet was entitled “Focused,” and in it was this exhortation: “So then, turn your eyes upon Him [Christ]. Look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.”
Mrs. Lemmel was riveted by those words. She says, “I stood still. And singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody.” The three stanzas of the song were added later the same week.
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s a light for a look at the Saviour, And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
(2) Today in 1893 – Boundless Salvation introduced
In November of 1893, the Salvation Army conducted a series of evangelistic meetings in Exeter Hall, in London. They called it The Boundless Salvation Campaign. It was for those meetings that the Army’s founder, William Booth, wrote the words of the song Boundless Salvation (sometimes listed as O Boundless Salvation). It became so identified with him over the years that it came to be known as “The Founder’s Song.” It was first sung in the meeting held on this date, and was published in the Salvation Army magazine War Cry the following month.
O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love, O fullness of mercy, Christ brought from above, The whole world redeeming, so rich and so free, Now flowing for all men, now flowing for all men, Now flowing for all men, come, roll over me!
My sins they are many, their stains are so deep, And bitter the tears of remorse that I weep; But useless is weeping; thou great crimson sea, Thy waters can cleanse me, thy waters can cleanse me, Thy waters can cleanse me, come, roll over me!
This statue stands on the grounds of the police station in a city near us. It depicts a Canadian Mountie encouraging a boy with the hope that his injured dog will be all right. Hope is something we can’t live without. But hope in this life must always be qualified, unless it rests in God. And that is the ground of the hope described in the Bible.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). We could define biblical hope as: the joyful certainty of future blessing. And, “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Heb. 6:19).
About 200 years ago, there lived in England a carpenter and cabinet maker named Edward Mote. As he was on his way to work one day in 1834, his thoughts turned to Christ, the sinner’s only hope. Some lines of verse formed in his mind, and his steady footsteps along the road suggested a poetic metre. To this day, we can hear their echo in the words: “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand– / All other ground is sinking sand.”
In his early years, it would be difficult to see any hint of the godly Christian man Mr. Mote would become. His parents ran a tavern in London. He says, “My Sundays were spent in the streets. So ignorant was I that I did not know there was a God.” Later, he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker and, when Sunday came, his master took the young apprentice to church. It was the turning point in his life. There Mote heard the gospel, and opened his heart to Christ.
After many years as a successful craftsman, he was ordained to the ministry. Near the pulpit in his church is a plaque that reads:
In loving memory of Mr. Edward Mote, who fell asleep in Jesus November 13th, 1874, aged 77 years. For 26 years the beloved pastor of this church, preaching Christ and Him crucified, as all the sinner can need, and all the saint desire.
That is a beautiful summation of his long and fruitful service. And here is a bit of his fine hymn, often entitled The Solid Rock.
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
(2) Today in 1890 – Henry Dexter Died
Henry Martyn Dexter was not really a hymn writer. But he is responsible for giving to the English-speaking world what is likely the earliest Christian hymn we have whose author is known. Mr. Dexter was a Congregational clergyman, serving churches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. For many years he was also the editor of The Congregationalist and Recorder. In addition, he was a scholar of some note, considered an expert on the history of the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony.
Shepherd of Eager Youth (rendered Tender Youth, in some versions) was likely written around the year 200 AD by Clement of Alexandria. Dexter’s work, the only hymn he has given us, is more of a paraphrase than a translation. He says of his adaptation of the original that he “transfused as much of its language and spirit” as he could. He was preparing to preach a sermon on Deut. 32:7, “Remember the days of old,” in which he planned to deal with “some prominent characteristics of the early Christians.” He created his version of Clement’s hymn to go with his message.
Shepherd of eager youth, guiding in love and truth Through devious ways; Christ our triumphant King, We come Thy name to sing, and here our children bring To join Thy praise.
Thou art our holy Lord, O all subduing Word, Healer of strife. Thou didst Thyself abase, That from sin’s deep disgrace Thou mightest save our race And give us life.
